Union garment.



Patented July 29, I902.

G. UB. COOK.

UNION GARMENT.

(Application filed May 31, 1898.)

(No Model.)

jwezzZ'o'r Gerafiz'zze 03B. 0290 m: NORRlS wzrzns 00.. PHOTULIYHO" WASHINGTON, u. c.

* NITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

GERALDINE OBRIEN COOK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

UNION GARMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters I'atent No. 705,652, dated July 29, 1902.

Application filed May 31; 1898. Serial No. 682,103. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it natty concern:

Be it known that I, GERALDINE OBRIEN COOK, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Union Garments, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a novel union garment which may be produced from a circularly-knitted web cut and shaped to present the desired form.

The invention herein contained is intended as an improvement on the garment represented in United States Patent No. 59%,647, dated November 30, 1897. Said patent shows and describes a union garment, the features claimed in the patent appertaining especially to the construction of the garment at the back, Where the back or covering flaps are inserted, whereby great elasticity is gained for the garment at and below the waist-line and about the hips without any liability Whatever of leaving gaps in the garment when it is being worn to thereby leave portions of the person uncovered.

In the invention to be herein described it will therefore be understood that the garment made the subject of these Letters Patent is to be the same from the waist-line down as that described in the said patent.

In the garment of the class described it is desirable not to have any front seam either down the front or back of the garment, and at the same time it is very desirable that the upper part of the front of the body of the garment should be so made as to cover the most of the bust with but a single thickness of knitted fabric and that said front part of the garment between the arm-scyes should in no way be restrained from yielding across the chest, but should be free to yield and adapt itself to the bust of the wearer. To insure this free yielding of the front of the garment,the wings connected with the sleeves and overlapping the front of the shoulders must be entirely disconnected one from the. other at the front of the garment, and they must be freely elastic laterally, without facings orother restraints to lateral freedom. I-Ieretofore the upper or top edge of the front or bust-covering part of the garment has been provided with a tape or facing tohold the usual buttons, and said facing has been extended across the bust and been connected into the seam uniting the sleeves to the body at a point about half-way between the top and the pit of the shoulder, and the shoulder-covering portions of the garment have been attached to the back of the garment and broughtover the front of the shoulders, where they have been united to the buttons connected With'the facing referred to, the facing which restrains the free lateral elasticity or adaptation of the top of the front of the garment to the requirements of the bust, which varies in *the user of the garment, or the front shoulder-covering parts of the garment have been made to overlap the front of the garment and have been connected one shoulder-covering portion with the other and both to the top of the front of the garment, thus making a double thickness of knitted material to lie on and cover the bust, which is very objectionable and frequently very uncomfortable. r

In the invention to be hereinafter described the front of the garment is so cutat its top as to leave not only a top, but two side edges,

and the lower ends of the side edges start from substantially the under side of the armscye, and the front shoulder-covering portions are shaped as wings, which overlap the side edges of the front and are connected thereto at some considerable distance from the center line of the bust, thus leaving the front of the garment at the top of the bustcovering portion of a single thickness only of knitted fabric. Preferably the front shoulder-covering portion will be formed as a part of the sleeve, and the wales of said shouldercovering part may run parallel and in continuation of the knitted wales entering into the formation of the sleeve. One edge of the shoulder-covering portion connected with and extended from the sleeve will be joined to the backof the garment in a seam coming on the top of the shoulder.

Figure 1 in front elevation represents a union garment embodying this invention in its best form, one of the portionsconnected with the back and extended over the shoulder and to be attached to the upper front part of the body of the garment being turned back into its open position, the other portion being closed as it will be when the garment is applied. Fig. 2 shows the sleeve and front shoulder portion knitted in one integral piece. Fig. 3 shows a modified form of my invention, and Fig. 4 shows the inner side of the front of the garment represented in Fig.

The main body of the garment herein shown from its top a a to the end finishiugs a of the legs will be composed of a knitted tube,which may be cut and provided with back flaps, substantially as described in said Patent No. 594,697, so the main portion of the garment from the bust down need not be herein further specifically described.

The part of the garment to come in contact with and cover the bust and to constitute the upper front part of the garment is cut shorter than the back a to thereby leave its top substantially at the line a, it having side lines or edges 04 the lower part of said side edges (see Figs. 1 and 3) being united into the body of the garment at the lower edge of the arm scye, so that the bust-covering part may be lowered when unbuttoned way down to the bottom of the arm-scye, thus leaving the upper part of the garment and the sleeves in condition for ready removal.

If desired, the upper front part of the garment bounded by the lines a or may be knitted to the front of the tubular body commencing at the line 00', Fig. 1, this being done on a machine having needles adapted to be manipulated, if desired, to narrow the fabric, as in Fig. 1, and leave selvage edges, or it may he knitted as a straight edge flap, as in Fig. 3. Preferably this bust-covering part above the line x will be knitted in adiiferent 'stitch that is, a double-rib stitchthus leaving the front with a greater amount of elasticity than it would have if the front were of plain knitting, and the top and side edges (1 a will also present finished selvages, which is also a point which gives superiority to the garment.

The front or bust-covering part in Fig. 1 has applied to it suitable buttons, as b.

For the best results I prefer for the prod uction of a superior garment that the sleeve and the front shoulder-covering portion 0 of the garment shall be knitted integral and that the wales in the front shoulder-covering portion and the sleeve run in the same direction.

The sleeve shown in Fig. 1 is a short sleeve, while in Fig. 3 it is a long sleeve.

Referring to Fig. 2, let it be supposed that the sleeve 0 from the line 0 to 0 will be made just as any other usual short sleeve and that the straight part c is adapted to be sewed to the back of the garment from the top of the shoulder to the bottom side of the arm-scye. The fabric for this sleeve has in accordance with my invention knitted to it as a continuation thereof from the line 9: a wing or projection 0 and the edge 0 of this wing will be united by stitching into a seam at 6,

said seam running along the top of the shoulder, the seam attaching the knitted selvage edge 0 of the wing to the upper part of the back of the garment. In this condition the wing c is left to fall down over the front of the shoulders, and it may cross the ends a of the single portion of the front of the garment either outside or inside. The wing, as shown in Fig. 1, may be provided with suitable buttonholes, as 0 to engage the buttons 6, and the wing will preferably have at its inner side suitable facings, as 0 composed, preferably, of silk or linen; but it will be noticed that said facing occupies a substantially vertical position, so that it in no wise interferes with the bust or with the adaptation of the top a of the front of the garment to the horizontal contour of the bust.

By making the wing as a part of the sleeve a garment is produced which will yield somewhat in the direction of the length of the garment and will stretch less transversely at that part of the garment closely adjacent to the arm-scye, while freely elastic laterally, the greatest yielding of the front of the garment transversely to the bust being of course in the material of single thickness located between the points of attachment of the shoulder-covering portions with the top of the front of the garment. The fit and set of a garment constructed substantially as hereinbefore described are much better and more satisfactory than when a stay is used across the bust or when two thicknesses of knitted goods cover the bust.

This invention is not, however, limited in all instances to making the sleeve with a win g.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the upper front of the body (marked e as overlapping the front shoulder-covering portion or wing 0 it being a mere matter of taste whether the wing shall overlap or underlap the front of the body.

In Fig. 1 the front of the body is provided at two points with stay-strips, as e 6 said strips having the usual buttonholes e e, and said strips occupy a substantially vertical position, or, in other words, there is no horizontal stay whatever on the said front part to in any way prevent or obstruct the free yielding of the knitted garment entering into said front, so that it may readily adaptitself to the shape of the bust.

The dotted line fin Fig. 3 represents the seam referred to, which unites the edge e of the back of the sleeve, Fig. 2, with the back of the garment, it not being easy to show said seam-line in Fig. 1.

By so shaping the front of the garment as herein-described and uniting it to the bottom of the arm-scye a much larger space is afforded when the garment is being put on than would be the case when the front part of the garment is straight across and its ends are attached to the sleeve at about half the depth of the arm-scye, as has been heretofore common.

The upper and lower edges 0 c of the fabric shown in Fig. 2 are united by stitching to close and complete the sleeve.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A union garmenthavingaback extended substantially to the top of the shoulder and a front or bust'covering portion connected with the back at substantially the bottom of the arm-scyes to leave an opening extending from the shoulder of the garment to the .bottom of each arm-scye, and wings cooperating with the bust-covering portion to close the said opening, said wings being freely elastic in lateral direction, and means to detachably unite the wings to the bust-covering portion of the garment in substantially parallel vertical lines, leaving the front portion of the garment free to yield and conform to the contour of the bust.

2. A union garment havinga back extended substantially to the top of the shoulder, and

a front or bust-covering portion connected with the back at substantiallythe bottom of the arm-scyes only, the front portion being shorter than the back and presenting a transverse upper edge a and downwardly-divergent free side edges of leading therefrom to the bottom of the arm-scyes, sleeves having wings extended from their front portions and joined to the back at the top of the shoulder, said Wings cooperating with the bust-covering portion to close the shoulder-openings, at each side of the neck-opening, and being freely elastic in lateral direction, whereby the entire front of the garment from one to the other arm-scye is free to yield and conform to the contour of the bust, and means to detachably unite the wings and bust-covering portion in substantially parallel vertical lines at a distance each side of the center line of the front portion.

3. A union garment presenting at its upper portion a back part, and a shorter front part, the front part covering the bust and having a top edge and inclined free side edges unat-p tached to the back or sleeve of the garment to form shoulder-openings at each side of the neck-opening, said front covering the bust, sleeves having attached wings integral therewith and freely elastic in lateral direction, the sleeves being attached to the back of the garment from the bottom of the arm-scye to the top of the shoulder, the lateral-edge of said wing being attached to the top edge of the back at the top of the shoulder, leaving the said wing and front free to overlap at the front of the shoulder, and close the shoulderopenings, said wings covering only a part of the bust next the shoulder, leaving a considerable portion of the upper edge of the front part of single thickness to cross the bust, said front being unrestrained against distention, between the arm-scyes,whereby it may yield and freely adapt itself to the contour of the bust, and suitable fastening devices located in substantially parallel lines to unite the free verticaledges of the said wings to the front of the garment, substantially as described.

4. A union garment presenting aback and a front united theretosubstantially at the bottom of the arm-scye, the top of said front being prolonged by knitted fabric. presenting a top edge a with side edges 01?, the said prolongation being knitted with a double-rib stitch or elastic knitted wales standing vertically with relation to the body of the garment, sleeves having attached wings freely elastic in lateral direction, and united to the back of the garment from the bottom of the arm-scye to the shoulder, and along the-top of the shoulder to the neck, leaving two free parallel and substantially vertical edges of said wings to partially overlap the top edge of the front of the garment near the shoulders or the junction of the sleeves with the body, and fastenings arranged in parallel, substantially vertical lines to secure said wings at a considerable distance apart to the front of the garment, leaving the vertical wales at the top of the front entirely uncovered, in order that the front of the garment may freely adapt itself to the bust of the wearer, substantially as described.

5. A union garment having a back extended substantially to the top of the shoulder,a sleeve, a wing connected with the front half of the sleeve and attached at its upper edge to the back at the shoulder, the wing overlapping part of the bust, a front or bust-covering portion connected only with the back of the garment at substantially the bottom of the arm-scye, said front portion being unconnected with the front of the sleeve and said wing, providing an opening from the shoulder to the bottom of the arm-scye.

-In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. GERALDINE OBRIEN COOK.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, EMMA J. BURNETT. 

